Professor Layton and the Warped World
by butchizzy1
Summary: He noticed something stirring in the backseat. He turned to look and see what it was, until he suddenly felt the thing breathing down his neck, "Your world...is about to collide with ours...and be changed...forever."  rated T because I'm paranoid :P
1. 1: No Time!

"Come on, Professor! We're going to be late!" Luke had been rather pressed for time

this crisp, autumn morning; He failed to hear his alarm clock go off, and the Professor

was too caught up in his own studies to even notice that Luke wasn't up!

He scurried through the room, hastily collecting his notebooks and such, while Hershel

was busy preparing the frazzled boy's lunch.

The kindly professor laughed, "I'll be just a moment, my boy!" As Luke just finished

packing all of his school supplies, Professor Layton lightly jogged out of the kitchen

carrying Luke's lunch bag. The boy was standing impatiently beside the door, tapping his

foot in a fast rhythm. Hershel handed him the bag, slightly out of breath from the rush.

"Pssh, it's about time!" Luke muttered under his breath, but not so low that the

professor didn't catch it; he had never been the most patient one of the bunch.

The professor sighed and said, with a forgiving smile, "Now Luke, you know that a

gentleman would never use that sort of crude language…" The boy's eyes widened and

his gaze immediately fell to the floor, trying to avoid the Professor's stare.

"Gee, I'm sorry, Professor! It's just that-" Hershel laughed, though not cruelly, cutting

Luke off mid-sentence. He looked up at him, stuck somewhere between curiosity and

mild annoyance.

"Don't worry, my boy, I understand that you are in a hurry, and you needn't apologize

for trying to be right on time!" His eyes brightened as he held onto the professor's every

word, and his cute little smell crept onto his face. "Thanks, Professor!" Luke gasped as he

glanced down at his watch. "Aggh! It's almost time for school to start! I'll have to run to

get there in time!" Before Hershel could say anymore, Luke spun on his heels, and was

out the door.

"Haha!" The Professor laughed quietly to himself, silently shutting the door and

turning to face into his apartment, "That boy can be so eager at times…Now, where

exactly did I leave my tea?" He wondered aloud as his eyes scanned the room.

Finally, he spotted is favorite tea, Earl Grey, sitting on top of an old mahogany side

table, beside his favorite forest-green chair. "Ah, nothing like a fresh cup of Earl Grey to

refresh oneself in the morning…" He thought as he walked across the room towards his

beloved morning tea.

The professor was one of those people who notice, and ponder, every little detail: The

insignia on the side of his teacup, and what it could stand for, the birds (Robins, to be

exact) that were sitting outside of the living room window, singing their song, and…

Hershel gasped as he realized that Luke was in such a rush to leave for school, that he

forgot his jacket! He sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Some days, I swear, he does it on

purpose…"

He walked over to where the little yellow jacket was lying, and picked it up, all the

while eying it curiously. "Hmm…This reminds me of a…" He huffed impatiently,

temporarily loosing his train of thought as he thought of a clever puzzle.

"No, there's no time for that!" He looked out the window, seeing how busy the streets of

London were, and noticing that there was a storm fast approaching on the horizon. "I'll

have to drive to his school to give him his jacket..." He chuckled, as a humorous thought

popped in his head, "…Or risk getting soaked from the storm if I walk!"

He momentarily put thoughts of puzzles and such aside, as he grabbed his keys, and

headed out the door, clutching the jacket to his side.


	2. 2: Through the Halls

AN: Thank you to all of the people who reviewed and subscribed to this fanfiction! I really appreciate it :) A just had to put a little bit of LaytonxClaire fluff in there, I just had to! :D Don't worry, though: I have a plan for a bit more romance (and heartbreak) throughout the story ;)

Professor Layton walked through the halls of the old, but still well-maintained, building. The green and red plush carpet was due for replacement, but other than that the building was in fine condition- it was fixed up and renovated for obvious reasons, but still retained it's subtle hints at an older design.

He sighed as the nostalgia slowly sank in. "My word…I can't believe that it's already been 14 years…" He remembered the day, all those years ago, when he had first moved into that historic building.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

"Hurry up, Hershel! We still have a whole other set of boxes to move!" Claire chuckled as she quickly glanced over her shoulder, seeing that the professor had fallen behind by more than a few steps.

The warm, spring sun peeked through the newly budded trees in front of Hershel's new home.

After looking for weeks, trying to find a suitable place for him to stay during university, Claire stumbled upon an article in the papers regarding an apartment for sale. At first, he declined: He had always preferred the wide, open spaces of houses. However, after some persuasion and a look around the place, he had placed an offer.

Now, here they are, arms filled with boxes of all sizes, hoping to get everything inside before sundown. He looked up, realizing too, that he had fallen behind. For a moment, his eyes met Claire's deep, thoughtful, hazel ones. She smiled at him, before turning and continuing toting away the boxes, and said, "You had better hurry; you don't want to still be here unloading boxes in the dark, do you?" She laughed, a sweet, melodic sound, as she continued up the sidewalk towards the door.

He chuckled under his breath, and continued walking up the sidewalk, arms laden with boxes. Suddenly, before Hershel could react, Claire's foot caught on the edge of the hard, cement stair, and she tumbled backwards, throwing the boxes up in the air.

He dropped the boxes he was holding and ran up to where Claire was lying on the ground. "Claire! Are you all right?" He nearly yelled as he knelt down beside her, supporting her head. "I-I think I'm alright. Just give me a minute to- Ouch!" As she was trying to stand on her own, her foot gave out from under her, almost causing her another fall. Luckily, Hershel was fast enough this time to catch her before she hit the ground.

"I think that we should get you to a hospital, before you hurt yourself even further." He said as he swept her up, and carried her to the Layton mobile, parked just on the other side of the building. She laughed, not used to suddenly being swept off her feet. "If you think that that's what's best…" She giggled, "Doctor Layton!"

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

He continued walking down the hall, until he heard the **click! ** of a door to his right. As he turned to see who was entering the hallway, he noticed the number on the door: 264. "Ah…so this is where dear Charlotte lives…"

Charlotte was an elderly lady in her golden years, with a calm and peaceful soul. He had met the women within his first few days living in this building: She always has her morning tea at the little table just inside of the buildings entrance. Of course, she always has a few good puzzles to toss at the professor or Luke, should they have a spare moment. He and Charlotte had become friends over the years, and one day, she mentioned in passing that she lives in room 264.

Just as the professor put two and two together, the door creaked open, and Charlotte's gray-haired head peeked out, looking rather surprised to see the kindly professor standing outside of her door.

"Oh, it's you, Hershel!" She reached out to shake his hand, "How have you and little Luke been doing lately? I hope the little scamp isn't causing you too much hassle!" "Speaking of Luke, I was just heading out to deliver his jacket to him." The Professor replied with a grin, holding up the jacket for Charlotte to see. She smiled, but suddenly, her smirk vanished, and she looked as if she had just remembered something. "Oh, good heavens! I just remembered that I've left the stove on! I'm afraid that we'll have to continue this little chat a different time!" With that, she turned and disappeared into her apartment, quite spryly for her age. "Good day, Char-" the professor started, but she had already closed the door. He glanced down at his watch: his little talk with Charlotte took up a bit of time. "Hmm…judging by how far away Luke's school is, I should get there with just a few minutes to spare!" He thought to himself and he continued through the hallway, and down the stairwell. This hallway never failed to make him feel claustrophobic, even after 14 years of living here. He jumped off the last few stairs, and swung open the door, heading towards the Layton Mobile.


	3. 3: Driving in London

As Hershel lightly jogged towards the Layton mobile, he took note of how considerably cooler it had gotten since this morning, when he had gone out to fetch the morning paper. "If I'm rather chilly, and I'm wearing a jacket, then Luke must have been freezing during his run to school!" He thought as he literally jumped into the front seat of the small, red car.

Just as he stuck the key in the ignition, He saw something white out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over, seeing that it was actually an envelope with no address written on the front. He turned the keys, momentarily shutting off the engine, and reached over to grab the letter. He ripped open the top, and gasped as he saw who it had been written by.

"…Remi?" Remi was the professor's old friend: they had known each other for as long as he could remember. However, he hadn't heard from her in some time, as they had both been extremely busy with work, and simply, life. Receiving this letter was a bit of a surprise to Hershel, but nonetheless, he unfolded the letter and began reading.

_Dear Hershel,_

_How have you been? And how about Luke? I trust that he hasn't given you much trouble!_

The professor laughed as he thought about Luke _not_ causing trouble, and how uncanny it was that two people ask about Luke's behavior within the past few minutes!

_Anyways, I'm writing to you because I wanted to know if it would be okay if I could come up there to visit you and Luke! We haven't seen each other in a while, and I'm sure that Luke has gotten even bigger since I last saw him! I've included the address you can reply to this letter at the bottom. Of course, the dress is in the form of a puzzle! _

He laughed: Remi almost always had a good puzzle or two to share with him and  
Luke!

_PS: Don't tell Luke that I'm coming: I want it to be a surprise!_

_Yours truly,_

_Remi Altava_

He smiled as he tossed the letter onto the passenger seat, making a mental note to reply as soon as he got home. He started up the Layton mobile, the engine emitting a smooth, well-tuned sound, and backed out of the driveway.

The streets of London were surprisingly busy for a Wednesday: usually, traffic around this time was rather slow. As the little red car made its way towards Luke's school, the Professor couldn't help but notice the dark cloud looming on the horizon, in complete contrast with the light blue sky. The worried him: summer storm season was long gone, and the great city didn't usually get big storms in autumn.

He reached onto the dashboard, turning on the radio, and pressed the forward button a few times until he came across a station that was currently discussing the weather. He listened intently, hoping for them to say something about the upcoming storm.

"…_So, Bradley, what do you think about that storm coming up from the north?" 'Well, Karen, considering that the wind isn't very strong, and isn't forecasted to be for a while, I'd say that it won't come around until at least Saturday!' "Really? Well, I guess that you have a point there. Let's just hope that everyone will be prepared by then: I'm guessing that this will be a doozy of a storm!" 'I think you're right about that, Karen! Just look at the size of that cloud!' "Then again, it could just be a gentle giant…kinda like you, Bradley!"_

The both of them laughed, their voices sounding slightly odd because of the radio static.

'_Well, I guess that's all we have on the storm right about now!' "Let's head back to our playlist, featuring Brandy by Looking Glass!"_

The smooth sound of Looking Glass filled the car; a tune that could calm anyone's frazzled nerves. Hershel, however, was not necessarily fond of the type of music, and shut the radio off. "Well, let's just hope that Remi doesn't run into the storm when she comes up to visit us…" He thought anxiously, worrying for her safety.

While the professor was busy stressing over the storm, he didn't notice that the light suddenly turned red.


	4. 4: Luke gets his jacket

Hershel hit the brakes hard, praying that he wasn't too late. As the car skidded to a stop, he heaved a sigh of relief: had it been winter and the roads icy, he would have gone right through the intersection!

His close encounter cost him a few angry glares and honked horns. Still slightly shocked, he just sat there; hands shaking as they tightly gripped the steering wheel. He had never been a nervous driver, but, like most sane individuals, would naturally be a bit shaken up after just narrowly avoiding a collision.

Suddenly, the light turned green, signaling for the professor, and the ever-growing line of cars behind him, to continue on their way. His hands had stopped shaking, but his mind was elsewhere. "That was a close call…Someone could have been seriously injured!" He thought wearily as he continued driving down the busy, London streets.

Snapping back into reality, he focused his eyes on the road ahead, noticing that the school he had been trying to get to all morning was just ahead, and the corner of the street!

He pulled into the parking lot, taking the stall just beside the school's entrance. As he got out of his car, and made his way up the grand staircase to the wooden double-doors, he couldn't help but notice that the atmosphere here was rather…unsettling. Even with all of the traffic and noise, it seemed silent, eerie.

Disregarding the thought, and remembering what he was here for in the first place, he opened one of the mahogany double-doors, and stepped inside.

"My, it certainly is quiet inside." He pondered as he took a few more steps away from the door. Not knowing where Luke's classroom was, or how to get there, he uttered a small "Hello? Is anybody there?" attempting to find someone who could give him directions.

Hershel jumped as someone's voice responded, breaking the silence. "TOMMY! I've told you a thousand times, stop lounging around here and get to class!" He could tell that the voice belonged to a woman, although it was rather deep. She came around the corner just as she finished her rant: she had just been sitting in the secretary's office looking over some papers on a clip board she held.

She was just as surprised to see the professor as he was to see her: She was heavier set, dark auburn hair, and squinty brown eyes. She wore a scowl on her face that he could only compare to the look on Luke's face when he had stayed up to late the previous night! Her sour appearance seemed to melt away as she began to realize just who this dapper gentleman was that was standing before her.

Her mouth gaped, leaving her resembling a fish in a fish bowl. "I-I'm so sorry, sir! I had no c-clue it was the great Professor Layton to whom I was speaking!" "I assure you, it's quite alright, madam. However, I do have one question…" He grabbed the tip of his top hat and pushed it up slightly, as it had been falling in his eyes. "Can you direct me to Luke Triton's classroom? I have something," He raised Luke's jacket a bit, glancing at it out of the corner of his eye, "That he had left behind this morning."

She smiled, still a bit surprised at the sudden appearance of the professor, and looked pointedly down the long hallway. "If you continue down this hall, make a left turn at the very end, and another left right after you pass the door with the frosted glass window. You should come up to his class on the right, room…" She paused as she flipped through the clipboard she was holding. "…room 138!" She shut the notebook, and held it with both hands behind her back.

"Thank you, miss…I don't believe that I caught your name?" He asked, being the gentleman that he was. She blushed a rose pink, not used to being asked her name by dapper British gentlemen. "My name is Bernadette Gaddy, but the kids usually refer to me by my last name." "Well, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Bernadette, and thank you for the information!"

He smiled warmly, before turning and continuing down the hall, leaving Bernadette standing there grinning, still clutching the notebook behind her back.

As he continued walking, he couldn't help but notice how ornate the school was: The wooden floor was gleaming a golden honey color, the dark mocha brown walls were perfect, with no scratches or nicks, and the subtle lighting just brought the whole area together.

He was never actually inside the school a whole lot, as Luke was never the kind to get into trouble and need him to come to the principal's office, so he never really got a chance to enjoy the school's décor.

He followed the flustered secretary's instructions, and stumbled upon Luke's classroom mere minutes later. He stood outside of the door for a moment, and heard nothing except the sound of pencils busily gliding across paper.

Assuming that he wasn't at the wrong classroom, he knocked lightly, and hoped that he wouldn't disturb the class from their studies for too long! The sound of scribbling pencils ceased, but was quickly replaced by the sharp clicking of women's high-heeled shoes heading towards the door.

Suddenly, the door swung open, but not before the professor caught a quick glimpse of Luke's classroom. The walls were a light, sky blue color, the hardwood flooring bore a soft, sandy shade, and the lighting was brilliant, casting a warm glow over every inch of the room. All in all, Luke's classroom was _very_ different from the main hallway, but still retained a formal air about it.

After a moment, he noticed that Luke's teacher was standing in the doorway, staring at him questioningly, along with numerous students peering out of their desks curiously.

Luke, however, continued working, so absorbed that he didn't even notice that everyone else had stopped. Finally finding it a bit odd how silent it was in the room, he glanced up, but seeing the professor standing there holding his coat, he blushed bright red from embarrassment, and his head hit the desk. "Uggh…" He muttered under his breath. Sure, being a newly famous person's apprentice is a privilege that almost every boy his age dreamed of, but it always got in the way of Luke making very many _real_ friends. Whenever anyone found out that he was the Professor's apprentice, they would be all over him, people that, before they figured it out, would never have given him a backwards glance. Luke always felt like everyone was just trying to be his friend because of his connections. He tried not to tell anyone unless he absolutely had to, but now of course, the whole class knew.

The teacher held her hand out to the professor, offering him a friendly smile. "My name is Claretta Noel," She raised an eyebrow, still smiling, "May I ask you yours?" The professor shook her hand, a smile beginning to play across his face. "The name is Hershel Layton, professor of archaeology at Gressenheller University." He replied as he let go of her hand, and reached up to tip his top hat. "If I may ask, do you happen to be new to this city? I don't recall ever seeing you around before today…"

Claretta blushed as her chocolate brown eyes fell to the ground. "Why, yes actually. I just moved here…" She raised her head, eyes shooting towards the ceiling as she tried to remember the date she departed from her old town, silently mouthing out the numbers as she counted. "…Uh, I believe it was four weeks ago…?" Her dark eyes stared into Hershel's, and her smile continued to light up her face.

"Anyways, do you need to speak with your child for a moment?" She asked quietly, gesturing into the classroom. "Ah, yes. Luke seems to have forgotten his jacket at the house this morning; we were in a bit of a rush, you see."

The professor stepped around Claretta, and his eyes scanned the room searching for Luke's desk. When Hershel spotted it, he smiled fondly, holding up the little yellow jacket.

The boy was hesitant to get out of his desk, but saw no other choice. As he rose from his seat, he hung in head from a mixture of embarrassment and shame, and silently hoped that for once, no one would come up to him and try to be his friend, just because they found out of his ties.

When he grabbed the jacket out of the professor's hands and turned to walk away, the man whispered, just loud enough for Luke to hear, "Have a good day, my boy." Luke stopped and glanced back, but almost immediately resumed walking.

Hershel, though appearing smiling and happy on the outside, he was secretly hurting on the inside: Luke had never acted like that before! He was always content with his lot in life, enjoying every second of the day.

His smiled wavered slightly, as he turned to take his leave. When he was a about 30 feet down the hall, he heard a soft voice call out, "It was nice meeting you, Professor!" But when he turned to find the source of the voice, he saw that the door to Luke's classroom had already been shut, the students resuming their work.

He continued down the hall, his smile completely faded now. As he swung open the great entrance doors, the sun was halfway hidden behind the gray clouds, casting a few last harsh rays of sunlight onto him before disappearing. He looked to the ground, the depressing weather and Luke's attitude both getting the best of him. He held his hands together in front of him as a single teardrop made its way down his cheek.


End file.
